by KJ Bell
“What’s wrong?”
“The door’s open,” she says, her voice laced with apprehension. “I locked it before I left this morning. I always do.”
Mike and JT appear behind me with guns drawn.
“Wait here,” JT instructs, pushing the door open. He and Mike enter Peyton’s house and I glance down into her beautiful blue eyes filled to the brim with fear.
“They know where I live?”
Her solemn question comes with a hint of her begging me to fix this and I will.
“They might, but you’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She lets me pull her close. As I hold her in my arms, Eduardo’s men breaking into her place doesn’t settle. They knew she was at the loft with me, and they already sent the warning. Something feels off.
Mike and JT come outside, informing us it’s safe to go inside. Peyton bursts into tears when she goes through the front door. Her entire place is turned upside down. The contents of her drawers spread the floor and furniture is flipped over. Broken glass and porcelain cover the kitchen floor. I stay behind her, listening to her quietly sob as she moves from room to room.
As I follow her down the hall, she spins around on me, stopping me in my tracks. Anger flashes in her eyes as she thrusts her fists into my chest.
“You did this,” she yells. “I wish I never met you.”
Arguing would be futile at this point. While I may believe this wasn’t Montez, Peyton doesn’t. But I agree with wishing she’d never met me. I don’t try to stop her when she storms down the hall, into a room and slams the door shut. She should be angry with me. I’m angry.
I want to go talk to her, but there’s nothing I can say. I fucked up. As I trudge through the dense grass in her front yard, I look at the men across the street sprawled out on the front steps of a small apartment building. They watch me as I round the front of my car.
“You lost?” One of them shouts.
I freeze, considering crossing the street to engage the men with some antagonizing comment, but then I hear Peyton. My gaze rises to her running toward me. “Wait! I can’t stay here.” She stops in front of me with tears raining down her cheeks. I want to pull her into my arms and console her, but that’s a line I have no business crossing, although I will eventually. I always do.
“I understand. I’ll take you to a hotel.”
“Thank you.” She smiles, pointing to her front door. “I need a minute to pack a few things.”
As I settle into my car, the voice in my head warning me to be done with Peyton grows louder, but I choose to ignore it. I’m responsible for the horrendous turn of events in her life. I can’t abandon her because I’m afraid of how I might feel. Fuck that my history of comforting women always turns out badly for me. This time, I’m the reason Peyton needs consoling.
Mike follows us in Peyton’s car. JT stays behind to meet a cleanup crew I hired and make certain Peyton’s place is secure. As I drive, I stare at Peyton from the corner of my eye and absorb every ounce of guilt over putting her in danger.
Then it hits me that Eduardo’s men could go after Brady, Tori, Drew, or Little A. My sister. I thought I had nothing to lose by confronting him, but I do. I have people in my life I care about. Knowing I have a weakness should make me abandon my plans, but it’s because of my family that I can’t. The only way to keep them safe is to put an end to Eduardo Montez. Until he’s no longer breathing, no one I care about is safe.
The morning sun filters through my window, but the warmth beside me belongs to my little boy. A smile spreads my lips as I stare down at his gorgeous face while he sleeps. It’s been so long since he’s slept in my bed. Eduardo won’t allow it, yet, here’s my precious baby, curled up next to me in peaceful sleep.
I smile as I remember finding Javier in my bed last night when Eduardo escorted me back to my room. I’d immediately told Eduardo that I’d carry Javier to his room, expecting anger to be spit at me. To my surprise, Eduardo kissed my forehead and told me that it was fine to leave our baby boy sleeping.
As the father of my child left my room, there was something different in him. He’d softened. I don’t know how or when it happened, and I don’t know why. His sudden shift offers me an opportunity that I plan to take full advantage of.
“I don’t want to be alone,” Peyton says, looking out the window of the car to the front of the hotel. In all honesty, I don’t want her to be alone. I want to keep her close, call her mine, and make sure no one ever hurts her. But how could I protect her from me? I’ll have to figure that out later because for the moment my desire to protect her outweighs any of my fears.
Before the doorman reaches Peyton’s door, I pull away and say, “Then you won’t.” She glances across the seat with a smile so beautiful a shiver skitters up my spine. “You’ll stay with me.”
She quietly thanks me and returns her gaze to the window.
It is said that people come into your life for a reason and I believe Peyton showed up when I needed her most, like an angel in waiting. If even only as a distraction from the day-to-day hell I’ve been living, Peyton serves a purpose. She’s a new path and new beginning. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to fuck her, but I’m not going to. Her world’s been turned upside down and I’m going to fix it, make it whole again and prove to myself that not all women are born from the seeds of evil. That I can be near a woman without fucking her.
Mike tails us into the garage at my building. He instructs us to follow him up so he can secure the loft before we go inside. Peyton’s hand trembles as I take it in mine and guide her inside the building. As we walk, I whisper in her ear that she’s safe, smiling when her hand relaxes.
Once the loft is cleared to enter, Peyton and I go inside, and I leave her to put her things away in the guest room. When I return to the front room, my angel’s curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. Her calm breaths bring on a smile as I know her ability to fall asleep stems from feeling secure with me . . . in my home.
Sid texts that he has two men patrolling the lobby and that JT is taking care of things at Peyton’s place. As I relax into the chair behind my desk in my pink office, I release a long breath. The new tattoo on Maria’s shoulder pops into my mind and sends a sliver of hope to my heart. Between Tori’s words and that tattoo, I question if there’s more than one hustle at play in the convoluted world of Eduardo Montez.
For the first time since Maria bailed on our future, I question if she did so voluntarily. What she told Sid was possibly a message and not a declaration.
Sometimes you don’t see the hustle coming until it’s too late.
Anger kept me from seeing the truth, but now in a rare moment of clarity all of the pieces fall systematically into place. I’m convinced Maria was the hustled, not the hustler. But was it Eduardo, or her father that perpetrated the con to steal her from me? I consider our time with Mr. Torrente, knowing his love for his daughter would never allow him to hand her over to Eduardo. He must have had no choice. Or did he? And I’m a lovesick idiot still caught in a web of deception that will eventually lead to my demise?
Nothing is clear like I thought, even though Eduardo basically provided me the truth. He claims he rallied the other cartels to his side to save his own skin. He knows about the deal I made with Torrente and the hand he sent as a threat proves he’s ruthless enough to keep Maria and her entire family hostage.
She and Javier have to be prisoners in the mansion. That’s why she never contacted me and why she never made our meeting. It has to be. I cling to the assumptions I’m making as they represent the only chance I’ve felt in months.
If I’m right, I failed Maria and Javier. It’s time I quit wallowing in self-pity and make it right. Even if Maria wants nothing to do with me and can never trust me, I will set her and our son free. With a plan in full swing to do just that, I pick up my phone and call Eduardo to let him know his message has been received.
“I’ve been expecting to hear from you.”
The gloating in his voice reveals pride, as though he believes he owns me now. It would take more than a threat for me to cower to this piece of shit.
“Your message has been heard. Our arrangement is not a play for my personal gain. Our business together is intended to make both of us a lot of money and give you a chance to start over. Nothing more. Your men didn’t need to trash Ms. Miles place to prove you’re in charge.”
“I’m happy knowing your girlfriend will keep both of her hands, but I assure you, ransacking ones place isn’t my style. I prefer a stronger method of proving I’m in charge as I’m sure you’re aware.”
His response was expected. I’d already concluded he didn’t have anything to do with the break-in at Peyton’s. “I am aware, but I also had to ask given the timing. And she is an employee, not my girlfriend.”
“Irrelevant. You care or you wouldn’t have called. I’ll look into the break-in,” he says as a show of good faith.
He wants me to believe we’re partners and since I need him to, I agree, although I’m sure he’ll see his doing so as a favor I’ll need to repay. “I appreciate that.”
“Good. As for our business, I’ve couriered over the paperwork you asked me to fill out, and wired the money to you. How long will it take?”
“I’ll need sixty-days.”
“Very well. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Hunter. I would be remiss not to mention the consequences should you have other plans. Ms. Miles is not the only woman in your life that is disposable. The blonde and the baby that live near the beach are also being watched.
The edges of my phone dig into my skin as I squeeze the phone before replying, “Stay the fuck away from my family.”
“Don’t cross me.” His final threat comes before the line goes dead.
The screen cracks when I slam the phone into the desk. Anger engulfs my senses, vibrating against my skin as my heartbeat leaps.
I won’t rest until Eduardo is dead, and he unknowingly gave me the ammunition I need to make it happen. He put the words out there and I recorded each one. He admitted to wiring money to me and the reasons will be suspect among the other cartels when the time is right.
Soon, Eduardo Montez will be a distant memory and my family will be free from his grasp.
“Are you coming to lunch?” I ask, entering Eduardo’s office quietly.
He doesn’t answer, offering only a shrewd smirk as he stares at the phone in his hand. As I inch closer to his desk, his gaze rises, meeting mine. His hostility with me may have diminished last night, but it is back with fury this morning. I smile, hoping to alleviate the madness I see staring back at me.
His lips part as he rises and rounds his desk to greet me. My breathing gains speed as he wraps a hand behind my neck.
“What did you ever see in Mr. Hunter?” he asks, the bite in his tone strong, like it was when he ambushed me in Tug’s lobby.
My knees tremble as I stand vulnerable to the man who controls me. “I was foolish.”
“That’s my answer!” His hand fists my hair and he pulls until I whimper from the pain. “I want the truth, Maria. I want to know why you loved him? Why you were going to marry him and let our son call him daddy?”
Tears form in my eyes as I struggle with responding. Eduardo wants me to be honest, but the truth is the wrong answer if I want to leave this room without facing the wrath of his fists. He’s a classic, case-study sociopath. He doesn’t believe raping me and not claiming his son was wrong. Therefore he can’t understand how I fell in love with another man. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me,” he roars, yanking harder on my hair.
“He made me feel safe,” I cry out uncontrollably and cower. “He made Javier feel safe.” His grip loosens and he takes a step back, wearing an expression of genuine confusion.
“You and Javier don’t feel safe with me?”
The lump forming in my throat suffocates me, stifles the voice I need to answer, so I shake my head. As I look into Eduardo’s eyes, I see something I’ve never seen before and I fight a smile. A smile, because I’ve finally discovered his weakness. It’s the same reason I was able to steal from him and escape all those years ago. As poorly as Eduardo treats me, I’m his Achilles’ heel, a soft spot he can’t deny . . . He always comes back to me. I’m the mother of his child. Despite the machismo bravado he wears on the outside, inside—I matter.
“I’m sorry,” I say to further expose his frailty.
“Go!” he shouts, his thunderous voice bouncing off the walls.
I scurry from the room and slam the door behind me. Tears leak from my eyes as I sag against the wall, questioning if I pushed too hard and if I’ll be punished for it later.
The door to his office opens and I turn my head to him. His eyes are wet as he leans close to me. His hands comb through my hair on both sides of my face as he looks directly at me. The reflection of love in his gaze conflicts with everything he’s ever put me through.
“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice small and cracking. “I’m making plans for us. Plans that will ensure you and Javier are safe. We can leave this life behind and be a family. I love you both and I won’t lose you.”
I cup his cheek as a smile forms. “I love you, too, so much, Eduardo.”
“I want to make things right between us. My mother died when I was very young. I don’t want Javier to ever know what that feels like. What can I do to fix this, Maria, tell me?”
Our gazes clash as we stare at each other in silence. This is the moment we both search for the hustle. He wants to know my angle and I want to know his. The love he feels is there, but this moment is the ultimate test of my loyalty.
“Succeed in your plans,” I answer, holding his cheeks as I kiss him on the mouth. The effort it takes to play him is near debilitating, but as I continue to kiss him, the hate I feel grows easier to ignore. “Succeed, take us away from this life. Protect us.”
“I will,” he whispers.
“One more thing, baby,” I say, kissing him once more. “Sleep with me in my bed.”
He hauls me into his arms, promising to do what I’ve asked. As my cheek presses into his chest, my heart swells. Not out of love for this man, but out of love for another.
There’s finally light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve conned the master.
Eduardo will soon pay for what he’s done.
I will find my way back to Tug.
I storm through the front door at my brother’s house, shouting for him and Tori. There’s an ire silence rippling through the air as I quietly climb the steps to their bedroom. The sound of a woman sobbing clouds the air and elevates in intensity until Tori appears from behind her bedroom door.
The horrific scene forces me to my knees as every trace of air is sucked from my lungs. She clings to Little A’s lifeless body, stiff as a board and dripping in blood. She drops him and that’s when I see the hole in her abdomen.
“I hate you,” she screams before collapsing in front of me.
I reach out to touch her, as tremors wrack my body. Nothing audible comes out when I open my mouth, but pain and regret and despair threaten to strangle me. As I place my hand on her head, I feel nothing as though she’s made of air.
My family is gone. Each and every one of them taken from me because I thought I was smart enough to beat Eduardo at his own game.
“Aidan,” I hear Brady’s weak voice from the bedroom.
My legs refuse to cooperate as I try to stand and I stumble back to the ground.
“Aidan . . . Aidan . . . Wake up.” My eyes flutter open to Peyton standing above me. The dream felt so real, but as I glance around, I absorb the relief of knowing my family is safe. But for how long? I’ve started a war with a man who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt the people I care about, yet, I’m too stubborn to back down. “Are you okay?” she asks. “You were screaming so loud it woke me up.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter, straightening in the chair.
/>
Her mouth turns down as she leans against the desk. “Were you dreaming about him?”
I tilt my head in confusion as it dawns on me she’s referring to a son she thinks died. “Yes,” I answer. It’s not a complete lie.
“How old was he?”
“Are you hungry?” I ask, standing up.
“I could eat.” She smiles and makes her way to the door, allowing my changing the subject to smooth over easily.
“Good, there’s an Italian restaurant on the corner. I’ll order in.”
I reach for my broken cell phone and call the number programmed in my phone, ignoring Peyton’s penetrating gaze. She wants to push me to talk about Javier, but her shoulders fall and she leaves me alone in my office.
After I order dinner, I find Peyton in the kitchen, sipping a glass of red wine.
“I’m glad to see you’re comfortable,” I say, teasingly as I point to the bottle she opened.
“It’s an excellent Chianti. I figured it was a good choice for whatever you ordered.”
Her confidence has clearly returned as has the color in her cheeks.
“It is,” I say flatly, accepting the glass of wine she hands me.
“Come,” she says, guiding me to the couch by my hand. She plops down on the sofa and pats the spot next to her.
For a second or two, I stare at the spot as though she’s asked me to sit on a bed of hot coals. She pats it again and I sit, although aware of my discomfort. “I ordered ravioli di aragosta.” She makes a face. “Lobster ravioli.”
Her eyes stay on me as she sips her wine. She squirms as I empty my glass, maintaining her gaze.
“Tell me Aidan, who broke your heart?”
I nearly choke on the last swallow of wine. “That was rather blunt.”
She takes my empty glass and sets it on the coffee table, before holding my hands in hers. “I’m a rather blunt kinda girl, but I know a broken heart when I see one. You hold your pain in, and you think no one can see it, but I do. It’s larger than life. You need to get it all out, so you can move on.”
